


Music Appreciation

by froxyn



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-17
Updated: 2009-11-17
Packaged: 2017-10-08 19:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/78728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froxyn/pseuds/froxyn





	Music Appreciation

Title: Music Appreciation  
Author: Froxyn  
Rating: FRT  
Pairing: Buffy/Giles  
Timeline: Sometime before S6, AU.  
Synopsis: Giles is having issues with the 'research music'. Buffy gives him a different perspective.  
Author's Note: Thanks to [wyvernwolf](http://wyvernwolf.livejournal.com) for the beta.

 

Giles looked up from his book as his front door opened. He smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling as Buffy walked into the room. His smile faded somewhat and he forced the sparkle back into hiding as Willow and Xander followed her in. Buffy shot him a quick grin.

"Hey Giles."

"Hello, Buffy." He offered with a smile, tamping down the urge to cast his gaze over her body. Clearing his throat, he gave Willow and Xander a warm smile as well. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"It's Wednesday." Xander grinned, causing Willow to stare at him in confusion.

"Actually, we thought we'd help you guys research that Martian." Willow said, shaking her head as she sat down on the couch.

"Morditian." Giles corrected, chuckling softly.

"_And_ it's Wednesday..." Xander repeated, knowing that Giles went to a specific shop each Tuesday afternoon.

Giles rolled his eyes in amusement and gestured towards the kitchen. "I picked up an extra box this week. Please do try to make them last this time."

Xander took off quickly, running into the kitchen and pulling down the box of cookies, or biscuits – according to Giles, from the cabinet above the refrigerator. Buffy laughed as she sat down next to Giles, her hand lightly brushing his arm as she leaned forward to see what he was reading.

A small smile played on Willow's lips as she watched them. As he smiled at Buffy, Willow wondered when they'd just come out and make the announcement. It was obvious they were seeing one another. And it just cemented her suspicions when she noticed the glimmer in his eyes as he looked at Buffy...especially when he thought no one was watching.

Xander plopped down on the couch next to Willow, his mouth full of English biscuits and two books in his hands. He handed one to Willow and, noticing that Buffy and Giles were preoccupied, motioned towards Buffy and Giles as he swallowed.

"How's the show going?"

"Same as always." She smiled, lowering her voice as she opened the book. "Whispers, looks, brief touches..."

Xander rolled his eyes, obviously frustrated with the keeping of things quiet. "Hey, Guys? When are you – ow!"

Buffy and Giles turned to look at him, Giles arching an eyebrow as Xander rubbed his ribs and glared at Willow. "When are we what?"

"Um...going to be ready for the research music?" Willow finished lamely as she gave him a weak smile. "I mean, brand new stereo begging to be listened to...go Giles..."

"Go Giles?" Giles questioned, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah...you know...for, uh, getting a new stereo..."

All joy left Giles' face, only to be replaced with the look of annoyance that Giles had perfected over the years. "What dreadful music have you brought along tonight?"

"Why are you so grumbly?" Buffy asked, lifting her hand but dropping it quickly before she ran her fingers through his hair.

Giles slowly turned his eyes to her and then sighed heavily. "I have perfectly good music to listen to, and yet – "

He turned and glared at Xander when he snorted. Xander choked on a biscuit as he quickly backpedalled.

"I didn't mean you don't have decent music. You do, it's just...kinda 70's. But, that makes sense, you know...since you're – "

"You'd do well to stop now, Xander." Giles interrupted, a hint of an annoyed growl in his voice.

Xander started to dig his hole deeper, but was hampered by Willow slapping her hand over his mouth. She gave Giles an apologetic smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"You know he doesn't mean anything by it, Giles. He's just...Xander."

Giles sighed heavily again and gestured towards the stereo. "Go on."

Buffy smiled and stood up, placing her hand on his shoulder as she leaned down to whisper into his ear. "I promise I'll turn it off when I notice the first dribble of brain..."

Giles rolled his eyes and then glanced at the two still sitting on the couch. His eyes darted to the book in Xander's hand and he shook his head.

"You won't find anything about the Morditian in that book, Xander." He jerked his thumb towards the bookcase. "Third shelf. _Fourth Realm Compendium, Volume Three_. Start there."

Xander nodded and hurried to grab the book. Willow chuckled and made herself more comfortable on the couch. Buffy grabbed a cd from the case that she kept in her bag at all times. And Giles groaned as she slipped the disc into the cd player.

His jaw clenched as his fears were confirmed. Dreadful music. This was going to be a long night.

He muttered softly to himself and turned the page of his book, trying his best to concentrate on the words in front of him. He looked at Buffy as she sat back down, her knee brushing against his thigh as she reached across the table for a book. She offered him a gentle smile as she pulled the book towards her.

"It's really not that bad if you just give it a chance."

Giles gave her a look of disbelief, lowering his voice to a whisper that he was sure the others wouldn't be able to hear over the music. "You owe me."

She grinned, nodding her acknowledgement as he turned his attention back to his book.

* * *

Giles turned the page as a heavy drum beat emanated from his speakers. He tried his best to ignore the music, but his head shot up when he heard an extremely familiar guitar riff…however, the voice definitely didn't belong with the music. He groaned and pushed his chair back, causing Buffy to look up at him as he stood.

"What's wrong now?"

Giles merely pointed at the stereo. "What the hell is this?"

"Puff Daddy." Xander supplied helpfully, smiling as he tapped the eraser of his pencil against his thigh.

"_Puff Daddy_? Bloody..." He stopped himself from finishing the statement and ran his fingers through his hair before stomping off to the kitchen.

Willow looked at Buffy and raised an eyebrow. Buffy shrugged, glancing towards the kitchen. Xander watched Giles angrily prepare a pot of tea. He smiled softly, finding that display just a bit more amusing than he probably should.

Buffy stood and made her way over to a stool at the kitchen counter. "What's wrong, Giles?"

"This..._music_. Do artists even need to write their own music these days? Or is any classic riff fair game? Kashmir...this is bloody _Kashmir_...with a bloody rap singer..." He trailed off when he saw the amusement in her hazel eyes. "As a one-time musician, I find it insulting...and infuriating."

"You're still a musician." Buffy stated, hoping to calm him down.

"Pardon?"

She smiled at the confusion in his eyes. "You still play...and sing. It may not be professionally, or semi-professionally, but...you sing for me."

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Buffy..."

"Give it a chance, Giles. I know it annoys you, but just...open your mind and listen to the words...the music. It's what a musician does, right?"

Giles narrowed his eyes as she slid from the stool and walked back over to the table. He thought over her words and sighed. He knew she was right...and he'd take her advice.

_After_ this song.

"Bloody Kashmir." He murmured to himself as he continued preparing the tea...a little less violently.

* * *

After he had handed each person a mug of tea, prepared perfectly for each individual, he sat back down at the table and smiled at Buffy. She looked at him questioningly as she took a sip of her sugar-laden tea.

"An open mind, hm?"

She swallowed and gave him a nod. "You might be surprised."

He huffed softly and lifted his mug to his lips. "I make no promises."

She smiled and pushed her book towards him, her finger pointing out a specific passage. "I found this about your Mortician."

"Morditian." Giles stated with a smile.

"Reading this makes it sound more Morticiany than Morditiany." Buffy replied, biting her bottom lip as his fingers brushed over hers when he pulled the book closer to him.

Their eyes met and held one another's gaze for a moment, each of them aching to kiss the other...but knowing they couldn't now. Not with Willow and Xander in the room. With this in mind, he cleared his throat softly and looked down at the book.

Willow gently nudged Xander in the ribs and grinned. Xander smirked and lowered his eyes before Giles or Buffy looked their way.

Giles read the passage and furrowed his brow, speaking as he continued scanning. "Have either of you found anything referencing Valhalla?"

Willow's grin faded into confusion. "Valhalla? As in...the afterworld for Norse gods?"

"Mm..." Giles murmured, turning the page. "Seems as though the Morditian is associated with Ragnarök."

"With _what_?" Xander asked in a very perplexed tone.

"Ragnarök." Giles repeated, glancing at the book in Xander's hand. "There are a few myths concerning Ragnarök in that book...near the end. See if you can find any mention of a demon who uses water for malevolent purposes."

"Okay..." Xander drawled, placing the book on the coffee table and quickly flipping through the pages.

Willow went over to the bookcase and pulled down a couple more volumes dealing with Norse mythology, glancing over at the Watcher and Slayer. She was less than surprised to find Giles poring over the text in front of him. However, what did surprise her was Buffy...mimicking her Watcher's actions and studiously going through a different book.

She smiled in wonder and made her way back to the couch, sharing a quick and knowing look with Xander as she sat down beside of him.

* * *

With a renewed interest in researching the demon, Giles allowed the music that had been annoying him for the past hour to simply fade into the background. He had promised that he would give it more of a chance, and that promise had been made with sincerity. But, at the moment, figuring out why a Morditian was currently slinking along the backstreets of Sunnydale was more important than techno-pop/rap dance music.

And then he heard her softly singing along to the song currently playing. By the softness of her voice, he was fairly certain that she didn't even realize that she was singing. He smiled and listened to her, allowing her slightly out of tune singing to draw his attention away from the research.

His smile slowly disappeared as he raised his head and looked at her. He knew that the words weren't her own, but hearing her sing them made him wonder...

Did she really think what they were sharing was nothing more than an affair? Even if they hadn't actually consummated their relationship yet?

_If you love me, say it_

Or was it something else? Was it that she wanted to tell their friends about their blossoming love?

He swallowed nervously, watching her as she stood up and made her way to the kitchen. Xander watched Giles, grinning as he gently nudged Willow. Willow looked at him and then, seeing that his attention was on Giles, followed his gaze.

She arched an eyebrow as Giles licked his lips while he watched Buffy bop around in his kitchen as the heavy bass line slipped into a completely different song. He smiled as Buffy poured two glasses of juice, miraculously completing the task without spilling a drop...even as she danced to the rhythm of the music.

"That's a man in love..." Willow whispered.

Xander nodded, leaning back against the cushions with a grin on his face. "And he has no idea that he's showing it."

Giles recognized the lyrics. Though he was sure that he had never heard this version of the song before...another case of another artist sampling from an earlier piece of work. However...as Buffy walked back into the room and handed him a glass of juice, he realized that he didn't care this time.

_I took one look at you and it was plain to see, you were my destiny_

Handing him a glass of juice, she looked into his eyes as the lyric left her lips. His eyes darkened slightly and she suddenly realized that she was singing aloud. When she hesitated in continuing, he smiled softly and shook his head.

"Keep going..."

"Um..." She glanced around nervously, biting her lip when she noticed Willow and Xander smiling brightly. "How long have I been singing out loud?"

Willow shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know...a while."

Seemingly having forgotten that the other two were in the room, Giles lowered his eyes and stared at the glass in his hand as his skin reddened. He couldn't stop the soft sigh from escaping his lips when he felt her fingers gently touch his cheek.

"Giles..." She echoed his sigh when he didn't look up. Knowing that their secret was more or less out of the bag, she continued. "I was just singing a song."

"I know." He responded softly.

She smiled and finally ran her fingers through his hair, just as she had been aching to do for a while now. "But you are."

He lifted his head and looked up at her, silently questioning her. Her smile grew as her fingers moved down the side of his neck.

"My destiny." She clarified softly, giving a subtle tilt of her head towards their friends. "And...I think they've picked up on what we've been hiding. Are you okay with that?"

He nodded slowly, gazing up into her eyes as he took a deep breath. "I love you."

"I love you too." Her eyes glistened as he took her free hand into his, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "And I think we just confirmed their suspicions."

As they continued to gaze at one another, Xander rolled his eyes. "Would you just kiss her, for Jiminy's sake?"

Willow furrowed her brow and stared at him. "Jiminy? As in Jiminy Cricket?"

"Anya." Xander stated as if that was the only explanation needed.

Willow opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when Xander's smile returned full-force. She turned back to Giles and Buffy just in time to see Giles gently draw Buffy's lips to his.

The kiss was sweet and tender...and they mutually ended the union before they were tempted to deepen the kiss. Giles swallowed nervously and felt his nerves begin to calm as Buffy smiled warmly at him.

They turned towards Willow and Xander to find them sitting there with matching smiles...and no surprise showing in their eyes. The corner of Giles' mouth quirked into a half-grin as Xander responded to Buffy's question of how long they had known.

Three weeks and five days was the answer. Two days earlier had been their one month anniversary. They had been able to keep the turn in their relationship secret for all of four days.

He chuckled softly as Buffy sat on the edge of the table, shaking her head in amusement as she swung her legs. As the questions started, he shifted in his chair and was suddenly very glad that Anya was on some sort of retreat with Halfrek.

He relaxed when he felt Buffy's fingers lightly stroke the nape of his neck. Seeing the happiness in Willow's eyes as she smiled at him, he realized that he was relieved that they finally knew. The fact that they accepted their relationship only strengthened his affection for them.

Though he did roll his eyes when Xander stated that technically they owed the official announcement to the 'brain-dribbling music' he detested so. Buffy just laughed and, sliding from the table and reclaiming her seat next to Giles, said that they were working on his music appreciation.

Giles grinned and reached around her to pick up the nearly forgotten volume on the table. And within a few minutes, the research had started back up...this time with Buffy's hand lightly resting on his thigh as they read.

They hadn't been reading long when Giles felt Buffy's eyes on him. He looked up and offered her a small smile.

"Yes?"

Buffy glanced over at the couch and, after finding that neither Willow nor Xander were paying them any attention, spoke in a hushed whisper. "I was thinking…"

He arched an eyebrow at her in a silent request for her continue. She took a nervous breath and leaned closer to him.

"Would you mind if I stay tonight?"

His eyes darted to her lips as he shook his head. "You know I don't mind if you stay."

Her fingers moved slowly, lightly stroking the inside of his thigh. She smiled as he gave a gentle shudder.

"I mean, with you…in your bed."

He was sure she could see his arousal in his eyes. He nodded slowly, dropping his hand to cover hers on his thigh.

"Please stay tonight."

Her smile grew and she brushed her lips across his.

Right now, they'd research. In a little while, they'd order a pizza or some Chinese for dinner. And then they'd figure out a way to politely ask Xander and Willow to leave. And then, he'd lead her up to the loft and they'd take their time undressing one another before he'd lay her across his bed and…

He shifted in sudden discomfort, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before gesturing to the book in front of her. "Um…research…"

She chuckled softly and removed her hand as she lowered her eyes to the text.

Neither of them saw the small grin shared by Xander and Willow.

**~ End**

Curious about the songs? Click and Listen.

[Come With Me](http://www.froxyn.com/media/come_with_me.mp3) – Puff Daddy  
[If You Love Me/You're All I Need (Puff Daddy Remix)](http://www.froxyn.com/media/if_you_love_me.mp3) – Brownstone/Method Man ft Mary J. Blige


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